Andy Murray will play mixed doubles with Emma Raducanu at Wimbledon. The Scot’s representatives confirmed the pair have been awarded wild cards, with Murray hoping to make the most of his opportunity in his final game at the All England Club.
Murray competed in mixed doubles with Serena Williams in 2019, with both men reaching the third round. The 37-year-old Scot, a two-time men’s singles champion, was playing his final Wimbledon match but withdrew from the singles on Tuesday with a back injury. He will join his brother Jamie in the men’s doubles on Thursday, with mixed first-round matches taking place on Friday and Saturday.
This will be Raducanu’s first Grand Slam doubles match, with his only tour-level doubles match coming in Washington two years ago. However, the 21-year-old did raise the idea of working with Murray two years ago, telling BBC Breakfast: “We haven’t actually talked about it but we feel like we both want to do it.”
They have been seen with each other online back in the summer of 2020, when the National Tennis Center hosted a Team GB battle during the coronavirus shutdown.
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Asked after Monday’s round win about Murray’s influence on her, Raducanu said: “I think the biggest piece of advice is how he looks after his operations, how he manages his staff. I haven’t really spoken to him yet. A lot of words. I think for me, just watching him operate day in and day out, watching him give everything he has, even in training now, he’s very detail-oriented.
“I think when I was younger, I would show up 15 minutes before practice, do a few arm curls, wave my hands and warm up. He was there for an hour and a half of treatment. He just established A very good example.